I have an EJ strat (just pulled this image off the web but that's exactly what mine it looks like):



I'm not a big fan of the pickguard, I think it's too white. I don't want anything real flashy but I'd like something to set the guitar apart a little from the traditional sunburst guitars w/ the white pickguard. Maybe something a little more vintage/faded looking. I looked on warmoth but wasn't a big fan of anything I saw.

The guitar (bought used) came with a separate pickguard, which is labeled parchment but it looks about as white as the one on the guitar. Sorry I know I'm being rather vague, I guess if this was your guitar, what type of pickguard would you put on it?

If you want a vintage looking or just a unique pickguard try these places: http://www.pickguardian.com/ http://www.pickguardheaven.com/ http://www.randysguitars.com/ http://www.nosguitar.com/ http://www.randysguitars.com/ For real funky stained maple pickguards try here: http://www.gilroyguitars.com/ \\\ http://www.gman@seanet.com/ http://www.stewmac.com These sites should have something that will be suitable for you.

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'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.

I'd put one of these on it......



Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY

I've gone over this kind of thing probably more than I should have in the past. Each guitar has a different woodgrain, color, or vibe to it, and I tend to try to think of something unique usually.. But as I started to look at gig photos and concert photos, probably the biggest thing I look at now is how something reads from further away.

With sunbursts, I always leaned toward going with a black pickguard. But as I started looking at photos, one thing I noticed was that since I wear a lot of black clothes, the guitar itself kinda gets lost in the photo.

In a weird way, it's kind of like using your mids on an amp. So many people will cut their mids, then turn around and say "I can't hear myself in the mix". Well maybe you should have boosted your mids more and you would have. Sounds like an odd comparison, but think about it just a little.

The guitar itself may look kind of odd with a brighter pickguard by itself (much like a lot of mids sound when you practice alone). But once you factor in the clothes you wear, the fact that there may be others in a photo, and a lot to look at, sometimes it's the pickguard that adds that little spot of color to your side of the mix. Especially from further away.

When I was swapping pickguards on 2 different Telecaster-type guitars, I had to put a cream color pickguard on one of them ( 2-tone sunburst) and I hated it. I just knew I had to eventually get a black one for it. Until I saw a photo of me with it. Now I won't change it.

I guess what I'm saying is.. Retroverbial may actually have a point here. Possibly inadvertently and in a joking manner. And I'm still not a huge fan of bright white pickguards. But a nice cream with maybe a change of pickup covers and knobs (like black to accent the edges of the sunburst) might do the trick nicely.

Just trying to give you a different perspective on things. Obviously, it's always a personal choice.

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Ever think of a polished aluminum or stainless material. Then it will reflect what ever the lighting arrangement is, and it changes with every movement. It looks really cool from audience perspective.
----Danny,

Any pics? I think I see it in your avatar but that's a really small picture.

That makes sense, thanks for the perspective. I think I'm perhaps looking for something subtle but not your traditional "stock" white on sunburst if that makes sense.

It totally makes sense to me. I can get completely OCD over these kinds of things sometimes. Hahaha.

But here's a good example of what I'm talking about:



Not the greatest picture, but these are my 3-sunburst guitars. Green background and a dark beige carpet. Each guitar is different.

Now walk away from your computer about 20 feet..

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I have a list of other pickguard sites where you can get fresh ideas listed down the page under PICKGUARDS here: http://brotherdave.com/add_parts.htm

It is really hard to beat the true vintage tortoise shell look on a bass but it loses something in the translation to a Strat.

I don't know which screw pattern your EJ uses, 57 or 62 etc, but the Fender Mint Green looks nice on a sunburst and looks more classic.

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I remember when we were free!

'57 pattern. Is the Fender Mint Green a lighter shade than others? At first I thought mint green was a little too green but it looks like the shade Fender uses is a lot more subtle. I'm between an aged white and mint green now.

Yes, try the Fender Mint Green. Aged White is great too.

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I remember when we were free!